Swanky San Francisco high-rise sinking, tilting
A newly built high-rise residential tower in San Francisco that's home to famed 49ers' quarterback Joe Montana and Giants' outfielder Hunter Pence is slowly sinking and shifting, and may ignite a court battle between residents and the city.
The 58-story Millennium Tower, located at 301 Mission Street just south of the city's financial district, was completed in 2008 and has sunk 16 inches and shifted 2 inches to the northwest since opening, according to a report issued by an independent consultant obtained by KTVU-TV.
The owners of the $350 million building told KTVU the construction next door of the Transbay Transit Center, a $4.5 billion project to serve as a hub of mass transit, has caused the ground movements.
P.J. Johnston, spokesman for Millennium Partners, which built the tower, told KTVU in a written statement that the transit center has been a negative impact on the luxury high-rise.
"All buildings settle over time," the statement said. "However, 301 Mission exists in a location where major underground construction work was subsequently performed by others, who were obligated to monitor and protect existing structures, and to mitigate any impacts of their work. 301 Mission has settled more than originally anticipated because it was affected by such subsequent construction by others."
The Millennium Tower Association, the building's home owners association, told the television station it has hired its own group of consultants to try and figure out what's going on.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/01/swanky-san-francisco-high-rise-sinking-tilting.html
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Huge parts of downtown SF are prone to it. On this map the red represents areas where liquefaction will occur due to fill (shoreline, rivers, marsh) -- the Millennium Tower is smack dab in the middle of red section that was old shoreline. I was here in '89 and saw first hand the results of liquefaction -- and that was from a big-but-not-BIG quake 73 miles away. 
"More than a dozen towers are under construction or recently completed in downtown San Francisco, which is more than 30 miles from the epicenter of Sunday's 6.0 temblor. Almost all of them were designed using a process known as performance-based design.The system was approved in 2008 as an alternative to the city's building code for structures above 240 feet in height. Rather than follow a preordained checklist of requirements, engineers and architects can use computer simulations and technical modeling to make the case that their design will ride out a major earthquake at least as well as a tower designed under the old rules."
There is TREMENDOUS pressure to develop and develop fast here in SF these days.
Our "democrats" have handed the City over to those who are making a killing here in luxury residential real estate. Everyone wants "loft" style housing with tall ceilings and floor to ceiling/wall to wall windows -- you can't get that esthetic with traditional steel building (and earthquake safe) techniques. As always, when there is big money to be made, certain things one would believe are unthinkable -- much as not tying into bedrock -- are.
I get that a lot of people love him because of his stances on social issues, but many overlook the fact that he's a pro-business, pro-development Democrat who often places economic interests before social or environmental problems. He was on the SF Board of Supes when many of the pro-developer regulations were being drafted, and was mayor when the laws were relaxed allowing buildings like this one to go up. He didn't just sign off on these changes, he was a vocal advocate of them. Remember, he was the same mayor who famously did the "100 in 100" thing, where he openly met with 100 different CEO's in 100 days to get their feedback on ways to remake San Francisco into a more corporate friendly city.
There's a lot to like about Gavin Newsom, but damn his business and development policies. The Millennium Tower is just one example of where his laissez faire, pro-corporate economic policies led us.
Sad thing is, the current round of city leaders isn't any better
Gun control.
wouldn't pee on him of he were on fire -- THAT'S how good my memory on Newsom is. 
Thrilled for my gay peeps on what was accomplished for them but a stake was driven into the heart of SF by that bastard. > I am proud to say he has never ONCE gotten my vote -- and never, ever will in the future. The Newsom kind of Corporatecat can go fuck themselves. Mightily.
Our current leaders are indeed a joke -- watch out for Farrell, he is a GOPer gunning for Mayor BIG TIME. I was recently at a Marina meeting with him and I heard hm trash talking Tom Ammiano and Mark Leno, and referring to them as being "on the other side of the aisle". Dude only ran as a "D" 'cause a GOPer can't get elected for SHIT in SF.
I'm genuinely hoping that Villaraigosa can mount an effective primary campaign against him. Given the demographic changes in the state and the nationwide push towards a more diverse Democratic leadership, there are a lot of us hoping to see Villaraigosa become California's first Hispanic governor in nearly 200 years. More importantly, he's just as liberal as Newsom on social issues and he has a greater focus on the needs of the working (and non-working) poor in this state.
As for the current SF leadership, just keep things in perspective. I moved from San Francisco to Modesto. You could have it waaaay worse
A certain presidential candidate had something to do with that.
That guy is the antithesis of having the Midas touch.
The site of the Millennium Tower was originally six feet of non navigable bay at high tide with a hard sand sediment bed that was most adequate for one, two story structures (liquefaction would be minimal compared to some of the city's deeper fill areas built on mud).
Area burned in 1906:
Cities have filled/paved so many rivers, marshes, and shorelines that you really have to really research the geology of the area. I am in SF up on pure bedrock -- which makes me feel very safe, though climate change maps show me liviing on an island in around 150 years. Could be fun. So sorry to hear about the lake". That has to really suck.
I'm a bad person too. 
I really hate that tower and everything it represents in my hometown.
